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#96499 02/21/03 07:55 AM
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SAN FRANCISCO MAN BECOMES FIRST AMERICAN TO GRASP SIGNIFICANCE OF IRONY

Jay Fullmer, 38, yesterday became the first American to get to grips with the concept of irony.

"It was weird" Fullmer said. "I was in London and like, talking to this guy and it was raining and he pulled a face and said, "Great weather, eh?" and I thought, "Wait a minute, no way is it great weather". Fullmer then realised that the other man's 'mistake' was in fact deliberate.

Fullmer, who is 39 next month and married with two children, aged 8 and 3, plans to use irony himself in future.

"I'm like using it all the time" he said. "Last weekend I was grilling steaks and I burned them to cinders and I said "Hey, great weather!".


YART? Sorry if so.

stales



#96500 02/21/03 08:05 AM
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This is hilarious!

I don't know whether your story, Stales, is a Yart, but, if it is, long live Yarts!


#96501 02/21/03 10:24 AM
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pulling a face

?

I know what it means, I think, just never heard it before…



formerly known as etaoin...
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Yeah, I think a few of us have seen this before, stales, it's pretty funny nonetheless. The irony refered to is of course the simplest flavour, and perhaps the most common which is virtually indistinguishable from sarcasm.
I read recently that sarcasm derives from a term that means 'to tear the flesh' - and is thus thought a more course and crude version of this irony, although the terms are often used interchangeably. Dr. Johnson said something about irony being a mode of speech in which the meaning is contrary to the words. This must be seen of a scale though - most uses are not necessarily diametrically opposed. Sarcasm on the other hand is pretty black and white.


#96503 02/26/03 02:04 PM
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Replying to my own post - sad hey!

The punch line of the above tale reminds me of an event during my recent trip to Mongolia.

Keen to try out one of the first three words I learnt, I started to thank the waitress in our hotel before retiring for the night. I looked her in the eye and said very carefully in my rehearsed Mongol - "Thankyou".

She seemed a little puzzled so I tried again - "Thankyou!".

This time my accompanying smile and small nod of the head did nothing to ease her look of bewilderment.

I took a deep breath, ran through it in my head again and went for the third effort just as our translator came back - having wondered where I'd got to.

"THANKYOU" I said again - at which the translator started to fall about the place laughing.

I'd just said - very carefully mind - "Gloves" three times!!

(FWIW - had said "Beer-lee" rather than "bayer-la")

"Gloves" is now standard around our work place when there seems nothing better to say.

stales


#96504 02/26/03 02:51 PM
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Again, terrific grin here from WW, Stales.

A French teacher I had years ago--wonderful woman!--told us about the first time she'd visited Paris and had ordered poison for dinner instead of fish.


#96505 02/27/03 02:20 AM
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stales's story reminds me of a cruise I took in the Caribbean with a girlfriend. The boat was Greek and we learned a few words to toss about from time to time. One morning I must've woken up slightly fuddled, because I greeted all the Greek staff we met en route to, and in, the dining room, not with, "Good morning!" but instead, with a cheerful, "Squid!" (kalimera, kalimari!)

I love travelling....


#96506 02/27/03 08:09 PM
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You're right, travelling is great but it's not just foreign languages that get you in trouble. After I'd worked in London for a couple of weeks I came back from a shopping trip and announced that I was excited about buying a new pair of pants after backpacking for six months with only one pair. When I pulled them out of the bag someone gently explained that I'd bought trousers. . . pants are what you wear underneath them.
Ithink it was Mark Twain who said "two countries divided by a common language"


#96507 02/27/03 08:14 PM
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Do the Brits wear underpants under their pants?


#96508 02/27/03 08:17 PM
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Do the Brits wear underpants

Nothing is worn under the pants. It's all in perfect working order.


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